However, Japanese news site Daily Yomiuri Online now says sources have told it that Samsung is preparing to launch a Tizen handset or two. "Samsung will probably begin selling the smartphones next year and they are likely to be released in Japan and other countries at around the same time," it posts.

The sources, it says, come from within the Japanese mobile communications company Docomo, which is working with Samsung on the project.

Naturally, the fact that trade show Mobile World Congress is a mere two months away - due to open its doors at the end of February - has inspired many to herald an announcement then. It is already much touted that Samsung will reveal its latest flagship Android device, the Galaxy S IV, at the event, so the company may also reveal the first commercially available Tizen phone at the same time.

Tizen is an operating system that works across multiple devices: mobile phones, tablets, netbooks, in-car infotainment systems and Smart TVs. The potential for its take-up across multiple forms of entertainment technology, therefore, is promising.